I need some advice.

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Mosh

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I'm currently looking after my friends dog (staffie x Pit bull) over the weekend while she has gone on holiday.
Now I like the dog..from a distance!! but I'm really struggling to control him, he's shut in his crate all the time as my friend really has no time for him anymore and very rarely walked (once a week if he's lucky), he's very lively and over excited about EVERYTHING! (very very bored)

I'm struggling to let him out without having my arm ripped out my socket, i can't get him back in without him dragging me everywhere, he has to have his balnkets replaced twice a day at least as he is not brilliantly house trained, he knocks his water everywhere and throws his food everywhere as well so if i can't get there for 5 hours like i won't be able to tomorrow night (i have work at 5 so will see him just before but could finish anywhere up to half 12) which is a long time for him to go without water or a toilet break.
He is currently on medication for an ear infection, including drops and i just can't get him to sit still or get anywhere near him without him trying to eat/drag/lick/jump on me!

I don't know what to do, I can't not feed/walk/water him but i'm dreading tomorrow when I have to do it all over again. I'm contemplating getting my brother to walk him as the dog just pulls me over.
How can i make it bearable over the next two days?!


Needed more of whinge than anything I think!!
 
Err I would tell Your friend she needs to find kennels for him and then an owner who will actually look after him. How cruel of her to treat him like that.
 
I think you definately need to try and get your brother to walk him. We have a staffie x we think pit bull and he needs alot of stimulation - playing and walking. Ours is caged overnight otherwise he chews our house to bits - during the day our dogs are in the garden but even so if you leave him for about two hours he also trashes anything in sight. I walk mine in a harness which helps with his pulling, (but mine is also muzzled as he does not like other dogs). Once he's had a long walk he just sleeps for the rest of the day!

I think your friend maybe needs to find him a new home. The problem is with that is many charities/rehoming centres won't take staffie's as they are over run with them. A private home who are experienced with staffie's would be best but maybe hard to come by.

Try and enjoy him, they are lovely dogs.... :)
 
I did tell her that kennels would be best but I think she worried that he would stress out!!

Friend is a lovely person but she hasn't got a clue which I think is the worst type of owner!! She was considering getting another dog but I managed to talk her out of that one!! thank god.
I know she likes having him in the house because she feels safe with him there but there are so many more suitable dogs (greyhound for example!) that don't need so much exercise and are happy to laze around but she won't have any of it.
I've tried my hardest to tell her that he needs a new home or at least walking everyday with some other training/stimulation involved but I think I was ignored.
Lot of rehoming places won't take him, A) cause he's a staffie and B) he's part Pitt. Going to keep a look out for a private home as well.
There is a brilliant dog trainer based around here whos very experienced with Staffies so hoping i might get her to come out, one on one based as well.

Failing that, I might actually report her which i feel horrible about but poor puppy needs some help.
 
Its very irresponsible of your friend to leave him with you, considering his behaviour. When she returns tell it to her straight. Shes ruining him & its only going to get worse, either she rehomes him or you'll report her.Its not fair on the dog to be kept like that & in my opinion is a serious welfare concern.
 
PM Cayla, I am sure she could find him a more suitable home and she is experienced with bull breeds.

Training won't help unless she sticks to him and trains him at home - taking a dog to class once a week and not doing anything with it the rest of the week, you might as well not bother.
 
Sorry, but if my friend treated a dog like that (crated all the time, walked once a week!) I'd call the RSPCA on her! You say she could get a different dog that needs less exercise, but ALL dogs need more than 1 walk a week! I wouldn't care if they were a "friend" or not.

She's being totally selfish and unfair to the dog. She shouldn't have put you in the position to have to look after it like that.
 
The dog is mental, it howled for 2 hours last night!! just non stop howling!! Longest two hours of my life that was.
I've been telling her to rehome him for ages now. She's worried that if the dog is taken off her, then her child will be too. Tried telling her its two completely different things as her child isn't locked in a cage 24/7!
I don't mean that she should have another dog that doesn't need walking, I mean that a smaller, quieter dog that doesn't need 3 hours plus of walking/stimulation before its even remotely tired would be more suitable for her.
I honestly don't know what to do now :(. I may have to report her.
 
Poor, poor dog :( and patient you!

How on earth does she make the connection between the child and the dog being taken off her? Although yes, owning an APBT 'type' is illegal :( whether we like it or not. They're seizing/investigating them left right and centre here at the minute.
 
I'm not sure how she'd made that connection to be honest! I keep telling her that its two different things entirely.
I managed to get him out over the weekend and was playing with him and he was so happy to be playing and having some attention, his tail wagged so hard, that his body ended up in a wiggling banana shape if you know what I mean! He had such fun playing "fetch:, having his belly rubbed and being made a fuss off. He's a very loving boy at heart but he is so bored that he just "explodes" when he is let out of his cage.
For the right person, he would make an awesome pet as he is quite intelligent, active and just wants to be your friend and do things! He doesn't really care what he is doing, as long as he is doing something.

I'm contemplating asking her if she would like to walk him with my dog again but after last time where they had a bit of a scrap, I'm a bit weary!
And also being APBT I'm really aware what could happen if there was a fight and someone or something got bitten. He wouldn't stand a chance really.

I was ready to strangle him after two hours of howling though. Think the neighbours were too!
 
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Poor dog, sounds like he leads a miserable existence. I know the DD law is vague, but surely as a PB x he would come under the definition of Pit bull type so is an illegal breed, and should be walked with a muzzle on, does this happen? Also he should be castrated I think. I think you need to be tough on your friend when she returns and tell her she cannot keep the poor dog the way she is doing. Tbh he would be better pts than face a life kept caged most of the time.
 
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What a sad story, poor dog! It sounds like a horrible accident waiting to happen, NOT because it's a pitt bull, but because it's a young dog with no training, no exercise, no stimulation and no socialisation.

Hard as it is to do I think you need to let someone know about this and hope they can help your friend or persuade her to rehome the dog.
 
No, he isn't walked with a muzzle on (I did actually take her shopping to get one and even offered to pay for it but we came away with nothing after she discounted each type of muzzle for one reason or another!) and he isn't castrated either. Thats my other bug bear.
I know she is skint but there is help available with the costs so I don't understand why she doesn't do it. There was talk of her breeding from him :o! :o! Hopefully managed to persuade her not too, I may have told a few white lies on that one :p!

I'm waiting for an accident to happen. I'm not waiting for him to bite anyone or anything but I'm thinking that if he knocked over her son than he could be seriously injured because the dog is so bouncy and excitable.

Who could I contact for someone to give advice to her? I don't want to see her have him taken away but I'm aware of the Consequences if an accident happened and she needs a lot of advice.

Half jokingly thinking about contacting Ceaser Milan or Dog borstal! :p
 
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